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Multimedia - Home Servers

The Blu-ray/iTunes Combo Server

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The Blu-ray/iTunes Combo Server

Mozaex launches the Chroma multi-room entertainment server-- a device series the company claims is the first to legally support Blu-ray playback, the iTunes store and the Ultraviolet movie service.

The Chroma does not ship with unlicensed decryption software, thus avoiding the legal troubles plaguing the likes of Kaleidescape.

The "iBLU" feature handles both iTunes and Blu-ray discs, while iPlay allows the control of iTunes libraries with iDevice Remote app, complete with Apple Airport support Continue reading...

Google's Music (and Video) of the Spheres

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Google's Music (and Video) of the Spheres

The Nexus 7 tablet is not the only Google-branded hardware emerging from the I/O developer conference-- Google also reveals the Nexus Q, a spherical media player or "social streaming device."

At first glance the Nexus Q looks like a piece of modern sculpture or the "intoxication orb" from the Woody Allen film Sleeper. A matte black, satin-finish 4.6-inch sphere, the Nexus Q streams online content and boosts audio with a built-in 25-Watt class D amplifier.

The Q pulls content from either a limited Continue reading...

Windows 8 Hates DVD: Users Must Pay Extra

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 Windows 8 Hates DVD: Users Must Pay Extra

Windows 8 operating system will NOT feature built-in support for DVD or Blu-ray playback.

For the first time in 14 years, if you want to play discs, you’ll need to buy an aftermarket program. That's right: your customers will have to buy the right to play DVDs.

The main official reason Microsoft cites... "Our partners have shared clear concerns over the costs associated with codec licensing for traditional media playback..."

Micosoft says its costs "a significant amount" of money for the DVD codecs. From our point of view, for years most partners complaints have focused on the high price of Microsoft OS and Microsoft Office...and Redmond has not responded to that challenge.

Continue reading...

Autonomic Media Server Gets Boost

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Autonomic Media Server Gets Boost

Autonomic upgrades the popular cloud-enabled Mirage MMS-5 media server with the MMS-5A-- now with a re-designed chassis, a new UI and audiophile-grade playback.

The MMS-5A supports 24-bit/192kHz digital USB audio output, while Autonomic claims the upgraded "sexy" chassis is ultra-quiet through the removal of the internal fan. The new UI makes navigation through online media sources (Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM, Last.fm, Spotify and TuneIn) easier.

Users can also add content from iDevices via AirPlay Continue reading...

Microsoft's War for the Living Room Continues

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Microsoft's War for the Living Room Continues

Microsoft plans to turn the Xbox 360 into even more than just a games console/online media player combination-- Xbox SmartGlass promises to unite all screens in the house (including mobile devices) with the machine.

Xbox SmartGlass is a wifi remote app. It allows users to control both video and game content with tablets or smartphones, using the Xbox 360 console as a hub.

First seen at E3 2012, the app also acts as a second screen-- showing extra video content depending on the content on screen. Continue reading...

Samsung Takes on iTunes, Spotify

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Samsung Takes on iTunes, Spotify

The Galaxy S3 is more than a flagship smartphone for Samsung-- it also launches Music Hub, the Samsung take on online music services of both iTunes and Spotify variety.

Initially exclusive to the Galaxy S3 (but will also launch on PC and other Samsung devices soon enough), Music Hub offers streaming, radio stations, cloud-based music storage and a music store, with a catalog of 19m songs courtesy of digital content technology provider 7digital.

The service will be available in free (offering 30-second song previews) and premium (with €9.99 monthly subscription) versions.

Continue reading...

Windows 8 Gets Media Center as Add-On

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Windows 8 Gets Media Center as Add-On

Microsoft announces Media Center for Windows 8 will be available as an add-on-- a digital purchase one does through "Add Features" in the Control Panel.

Media Center comes free in Windows 7 Premium and Pro.

Apparently the price covers royalty costs of codecs supporting broadcast TV (DBV-T/S, ISDB-S/T, DMBH, and ATSC), VOB file playback and DVD playback. A codec all versions of Windows 8 do support is Dolby Digital Plus.

In case you are wondering the standard Windows 8 standard Media Player does Continue reading...

A Server for the Biggest Collections

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A Server for the Biggest Collections

Even customers with the biggest of movie collections will find it difficult to fill up the FilmoScope DX-- a server with a disk capacity expandable to a maximum of 256 terabytes.

The server comes with standard storage of 14TB to store movies and albums as a single collection, and is compatible with DUNE, TWIX, Xtreamer and Popcorn Hour media players as well as players from FilmoScope Lab itself.

FilmoScope also provides DX-series servers with optional built-in 4 or 6 TI multi-zone audio, handling Continue reading...

Digital Music For Those Who "Do Not"

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Digital Music For Those Who

Cloud-based music service rara.com hopes it will attract mass-market customers who don't listen to digital music-- saying 60% of consumers "never experienced any form of digital music."

To do so, rara.com employs a "simple and beautiful" web-based UI (claiming it makes listening to online music as easy as switching on the radio), licensing agreements with Universal, Sony, EMI and Warner and the services of Grammy Award winner Imogen Heap as associate editor.

Powering the service itself is Omnifone-- Continue reading...

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